Not Your Everyday Responsibilities
by Kali Cephirot
Summary: Katara thinks that Sokka should give Aang The Talk. Sokka thinks his sister is crazy. [FINISHED.]


**Not Your Everyday Responsibilities.**

"Mmmh." Katara said. Sokka, who had been just about to drift to the glorious land of deep slumber, felt all the blood and breathe in his body froze in a way no bender would've been able to cause. He _knew_ that sound. There were few things – okay, lots of things, but not the point – he hated more than that sound, and none of those things were nearby to distract him from his sister.

It was the sound that Katara made when she was _thinking._ The kind of _thoughts_ that more often than not ended up with all of them in mortal danger, or that turned him into a Sokka-popsicle. It wasn't a happy sound. 

"Sokka." But he was asleep, so he didn't hear the dreaded sound, neither the sound of Katara's voice. Sleeping, wonderful, wonderful sle-

"Ouch!" he immediately stood up, rubbing against the sore spot where Katara had thrown him a small stone, and glared towards his sister. "What did you do that for!"

"Good! You're awake!" Katara gave a cheerful smile, moving from her covers to sit by his side. Sokka glared at her and turned his head to check up on Aang, who was blissfully sleeping over Appa's tail as if he had no care in the world, the bastard.

"Not by choice. What do you want? And I don't want to hear a _word_ about bending!"

"It's not that." Katara said, waving his rightful concern off, instead lowering her voice to be barely above a whisper. "I was just thinking… you should have a certain talk with Aang."

"Talk? About what?" Sokka asked, yawning, trying to rub sleep off his eyes, and hoping Katara would take a hint but, as a good sister, she didn't.

"You know," Katara said, raising eyebrows, tilting her head in some kind of jerky movements. "… a _talk_."

Sokka stared at his sister as if she had gone crazy. He knew she hadn't, if only because she already _was_ crazy, thank you very much. Katara sighed and rolled her eyes again, before leaning close to whisper in his ear, as if she didn't know that Aang had a very heavy slee- oh. Oh. Oh, no, no way in hell.

"Are you insane!" he whispered back angrily, now staring towards the sleeping boy as if he had suddenly grown six feet taller and developed another head, some wings and a tail. "Why do I've to… to… to _talk_ him about _that!_ He's the freakin' Avatar! Surely he already knows everything that's to know about it!"

"He's _Aang_¸ he's twelve, and there's no one else!" Katara countered in the same kind of whisper, her frown increasing. In the deepest part of him, he hoped that it was going to cause her wrinkles.

"Exactly! He's _just_ twelve!" Sokka replied, trying to keep his voice down. "He has other things much more important to worry about rather than knowing about… I mean, he still has to master Water Bending, doesn't he? I don't see how this is the time or the moment to talk him about…"

"Father talked with you when you were twelve."

The bad part about little sisters – one of the things in a really hugelist– was that they knew where to hit for it to be painful and make you feel like a big fat useless hairy worm. Katara blinked at him as if she was the picture of innocence, and he glared even more.

"So? Maybe those monks he grew up with gave him that talk." He grumbled, knowing that he was losing this particular fight. "The little monks had to come from somewhere, after all."

"Well, then you'll just have to make sure he does know it." Katara said, almost beaming. Sokka decided that it was too late to have gloating sister. Then again, any time was a wrong time to have a gloating sister.

"Guys?" Aang sat up, eyes heavy with sleep, and yawned; Momo did much of the same, barely hanging unto Aang's neck. "Something wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong, Aang." Katara whispered softly, giving a smile as she moved back to her blankets. "Go back to sleep."

Aang gave her a sleepy grin, yawned as he stretched, and fell back into snoring mid stretch. Katara snuggled into her covers and, five minutes after, her breathing had slowed as she fell asleep.

"Aw, man…" Sokka glared towards the night sky, eyes wide open since sleep had decided to abandon him and let him face this nightmare alone.

It had promised to be such a good night, too.

-…-

He could feel Aang's eyes over him as he tried to wonder which would be the best approach. So far, he had started speaking three times, only to have to interrupt himself when he looked upon Aang's friendly, if curious face.

That Momo had started to follow him around didn't make things easier, either.

"Could you stop that already?" He asked the lemur, but it only blinked, tilting his head. Sokka facepalmed, suddenly having the distant wish he was an Earth Bender to disappear.

"Sokka, is everything okay?" Aang as cautiously, reaching up to Momo. "If you need time, I could go and wait with Katara and Appa until you–"

"No! Don't do that!" Sokka quickly moved to stand in front of Aang. "You can't go back yet!"

"Why?" Aang blinked, and then frowned, concern covering his face, his staff ready over his hand in seconds. "Is Katara okay?"

"Other than the fact that she's evil? Yeah, sure. No, no. Aang we… we've to talk."

"Talk?" Once he was certain that there was no imminent danger, Aang put his staff back on his back, cocking his head to a side. Sokka refrained from whining and decided to confront things like a warrior would.

"Say… is the Avatar allowed to get married?" And any true warrior would try to find a pacific solution first, of course.

Aang blinked, before giving a slow nod. "It's not forbidden, but many of the previous Avatar preferred not to do it, since having a family would prove distracting from their duties… but many did have families."

Sokka groaned. "And you're surely of the latter kind, right?"

Aang looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. "Eh… I'm… not sure? Maybe…?"

He groaned again. That was it for trying to deal with things in a non-traumatic way, apparently.

"Okay… so… Aang."

"Yes, Sokka?"

"You like girls, right?"

Aang kept on looking at him in a weird stare, as if what he was talking didn't make any sense, but nodded his head a couple of times. Sokka rubbed the back of his neck, cursing the existence of sisters everywhere.

"See, the thing is–" 

"Sokka, before you continue…" Aang interruption was mildly annoying, if only because he had finally decided to just get the damn talk out of his chest and then hope he'd get some sort of amnesia to forget it had ever happened. The boy stood in front of him, his arm stretched in front of him, a faint look of alarm over his face. "Um… I don't want you to take this the wrong way, because you're my friend, I really care about you. As family."

"Okay…"

"And… I thought I should tell you that… eh… I _do_ like girls. I really do. And… I'm flattered but…"

Sokka stared at Aang, wondering if he was still breathing, because he was certain that his body had decided to shut down, because surely Aang couldn't be implying about…

"And… I don't think it's bad or wrong, and I'm sure Katara doesn't either! But, I just… eh… like girls. Okay?" Aang smiled, relieved, but his face immediately became worried again. "Sokka? You're turning kind of blue…"

And as if that had been just what his body needed to work again, breath went in his lungs… and out almost immediately in a loud shout.

"_Are you out of your freakin' mind!_" he screamed, causing Momo to hide inside Aang's suit. "It's nothing like that! Katara asked me to have the talk with you!"

Aang, who had been covering his ears, opened one eye to look at him. "What talk?"

"Not _a_ talk, _The_ Talk!" when Aang blinked again, obviously not understanding, Sokka did a hand gesture that anyone over ten years old would be able to understand and that he believed was quite universal.

Aang's eyes grew as wide as saucers, and Sokka knew he knew, thanks to all the gods.

"What! But… why!"

"How should I know? It's one of her weird girl ideas!" Sokka grumbled, hands deep in his pockets, still fuming at the complete humiliation. He glared at Momo, who huddled back inside Aang's clothes. If the little creeper was smart, he was going to ignore every single thing of that conversation. "Wait… you know it? Because if you know it, we're free."

"Eh… I know some… basics, I guess."

"Don't tell me you want me to explain…"

Aang looked at him for a moment, as if he was considering the possibilities. The boy seemed to have bugs inside his clothes, but then he shook his head. "I'd just rather not have to link _you_ with… that."

Already tired with the subject, probably scarred forever, and not wanting to deal with having to give anyone that kind of talk until he was old, Sokka was more than happy to agree with him.

"Let's make a deal." Sokka said slowly. "I won't say another thing but, if Katara asks, you'll say I did."

"We're going to lie to her?"

"Hey, it's either that, or have her scold us both and sit with us while she makes sure I tell you everything."

"… everything?"

He shuddered. "Everything."

Aang paled, swallowed and quickly nodded.

-…-

Katara beamed when they went back. Looking as chagrined as they did, she probably thought they had _talked_. Sukko hoped that this helped to pay karma.

"I'm glad you're back!" She said with a warm smile, giggling when Momo jumped from Aang's shoulder towards her, but then she blinked. "What is Momo doing with his hands? Sokka!"

Sokka groaned and, again, wished he could be an Earth Bender.


End file.
